On August 19 in Sydney, TechCrunch and Stripe brought the Startup Battlefield to Australia, and the country’s early-stage startup scene showed up ready to compete.
Eight finalists took the stage at Stripe Tour Sydney, each delivering a four-minute pitch followed by a four-minute Q&A from a panel of judges including Jarron Aizen (CEO & Founder, Hapama), Brendan Hill (Venture Partner, Ten13), and Snehaa Senthamilselvan Easwari (Startup & Investor Partnerships Lead, AUNZ, Stripe). The tight format kept energy high throughout, proof that the best founders don’t need more than four minutes to make a case.
The winner was Apate, a standout company that earns automatic entry into the Startup Battlefield 200 at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this October, putting them in elite company and on the radar of the global investor community. Apate also takes home up to $15,000 in Stripe fee credits.
The 2026 Startup Battlefield 200 is now live. TechCrunch Disrupt takes place in San Francisco October 13-15, 2026.
